Improved process and apparatus for the manufactttre of saixt



Inveni@ M* l W N. PUERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D C Witnesses; WMM

lllnitttl tant.

DEXTER-REYNOLDS, or ALBANY, NEW Your'.

Letters `Patent No, 99,949, dated February 15, y1870.

IMPROVED-PROCESS .AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OIE' SALT.

The Schedule'xefen'ed to in these Letters Patent and 'making part of the same To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DEXTER REYNOLDS, ofthe city of Albany, in the count-y of Albany, and State of New York, have invented a certain new'and useful Process and Apparatus for the lvlanufaeturejof Salt; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,vand exact descriptipu thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings making part otthis specification, inl which Figure l is a. plan view ot my apparatus representedr tirely separate from the vessel or vessels in Iwhich the brine is concentrated or reducedr to salt, the gypsum o r other impurities in salt brines which are precipitated by eithel heat or concentration, or the joint effects of both, as etfectually, if not more so than is now done by panning, where the brine is boiled in kettiles or by. any other method-thus rendering it practicable 4to make good salt in shallow pans or vats heated by vsteam or otherwise, from briues which contain such in'ipurities, which cannot now be done; and thereby also promoting a more rapid evaporation and consequently a greater and more economical concentration ot" the brine or reduction thereof to salt in the evaporator, which latter cannot now be donc advantageously on account of' the presence of such 'unpurities.

The vats A and B are located either upon the walls of the present salt-blocks or upon supports specially provided therefor, and the latter may be arranged with reference to the former similarly to the apparatus patented by J. J. Sherunimot' Albany, New York, February, 16, 1869, reissued May 11,1869, in which vaporlt'rom A passes through -suitable openings or pipes into a chamber in B and heats additional brine, or it-i may be made similarly to the apparatus described in thc patent to myself', June 15, 1869.

'lhe purifier U is placed conveniently above the upper vat B, and it is proposed to remove in-it the gypsum and other impurities by boiling, by means of steam passing through a series of' pipes or other receptacles placed therein, and so arranged as to allow as little -surface for the deposit of such impurities thereon as possible, to affect the heat passing therefrom.

The pipe B conveys steam to it from the boiler E, andthe opposite extremity thereof' conveys the condensed steam back to the boiler alter it has given up its heat to the brine. p Y

The purified brine is drawn off 'bythe' pipe Vinto the pan B', which pipe can be so arranged as also to lallow such purified brine toA be'dmwn direct into A.-

The vat Bis constructed of any non-conducting material, and a pan, B', of any conducting material is placed within it, leavingasteam-chamber, H, between the bottom of' such pau and vat.'

The vapor from brine boiled ni the vat A rises through openings or pipes M to the steam-chamber H, and being condensed by giving up its heat to brine in the pan B', the condensed steam passes off through pipes N to a gutter or'pipe, by which it is carried to a suitable reservoir, whence it may be pumped as desired into the boiler. v

By means of pipes T T, provided with suitable plugs or cocks, the concentrated brine' may be let downinto the vat A to be therein reduced to salt; such pipes being of suicient number vand size Vto admit ot' the speedy emptying of the pan B.

The brine in vat A is heated by a series of pipes arranged in anyA suitable and efective manner,.taking steam from the boiler through D and'returning the' condensed water through D. v 4

The vat Abe-ing provided with covers, or soplaced as to be closed by covers attached to vat B,'such covers are capable of being veasily opened or removed,

so as to permit free access to such vat A for the removal of salt, and so arranged as, when closed by the iuterpositiou of felti'ug or otherwise, to prevent the escape of any steam rising from the surface of the brine-being reduced to salt in A, otherwise than up the pipe M through the steam-c'hamber'H, (one of such covers being shown down and one raised in fie l.)

In the covers a hole is made, with a pipe, K, extending from the bottom ofthe covers into such hole, and 'sutiiciently long to extend, when the covers aie down, below the surface ofthe vbrine being boiled in such vat, (and such hole on the upper side of such covers anda suitable distance therefrom being surroundedby cleets, or otherwise arranged so that when a basket of salt is set thereupon to drain, the drainage shall pass through 'such hole and pipe to the vat below) and prevent the 4escape ot' Aany steam from such vat thereby.

It will be observed that instead ot' using the evaporator in connection with kettles heated by the direct act-ion of fire, as contemplated by both Sherman and myseltl inthe patents hereinbefore referred to, it is proposed to use the same in lconnection with vats heated by steam, and to supply the evaporator with purited brine coming hot from the purifier, instead of crude briuecoming cold from the logs.

It will also be observed that in place of the pan B' a metallic diaphragm may be substituted 5+ or inthe place of' such pan or diaphragm, pipe M, steam-chantber H, audpipe'N, any pipes, tubes, cases or recepaant (apta creasing their economical working also adds i to their 4it having been found, in practice, that placing the -acles for steam receiving at one end the steam rising from A and at another allowing the condensed stea-n to pass away, and being surrounded by'and giving up its heat to the-.brine in When the pan B' or diaphragm substituted therefor is necessarily large, supports therefor may be provideil ou the bottoni'ot- B.

The. pipe M should extend snfliciently above the bottom ot' B to prevent the return thereby of any'condensed'steam.

All the. pans and pipes should be painted with red lead or otherwise protected from rusting, to increase their durability.

This appai'atiis and process is an improvement upon the apparatus and process' patented either by said Sherman. or myself', hereiiibei'ore referred to, in several important particulars.

First, in increasing the rapidity of' the evaporation in such evaporator by the previous removal otl the gypsum ti'oin the brine, the presence of which in the brine when it does noteome to a boil, as it does not in the evaporator, having heen formed by its crystalization on the surface to greatly retard such evaporation. And snel: previous removal ot' gypsum and other impurities also permits of the reduction of the brine to salti'n tli'e evaporator, wliieli could not otherwise be advantageously done, as the reduction of' the brine to salt without the gypsumv being tirst removed would greatly impair, it' it did notI entirely destroy, the marketable value ot' the salt so made.

v Second, it isin'ore conveniently applied to and within the limits of the present salt-blocks, and while incapacity for production, for there is no space in the present salt-blocks to locate the evaporatoi's in coniiectioii withrkettles, and their employment in connection with about one-third ot' the kettles which do notcome toa boil owing to'tlieii' distance from the fire, would be of but little,.it'V any, value; whereas the vat A, it' made of about halt` the length of one row ot' kettles and heated by steam, and the vat l5 of the length ot tbe. other row, and ot' such widths as not. to interfere with the present alley-ways, will equal in production all tlie-kettles in the block.

Third, it adds tothe durability of the evaporator,

vvats directly upon kettles subjected to the` direct action ot' lire, they soon become charred At'roin the great heat ot' the edges of the kettles,.and would be entirely destroyed by continuous use in` a very short time; whereas when placed over vats heated by steam their durability is iiidetinitely increased.

Fourth, the, evaporators beingr placed over kettles, or with covers attached placed over kettles, which kettles made their saltat diii'erent times, and no provision being made to ascertain when the salt was so made other -than by raising the covers, a great amount ot' additional flabor. was caused thereby, or the danger iiicuired from neglect 'of'` destroying t-lie kettles themselves. y t' Fifth, by the substitution of' a steam-generator for the present method otl heating the brine, we areeiienabled to obtain the best eifects from the combustion ot' fuel, as it is wellvkiiowu that a boiler constructed upon the best principles utilizes the heat ot' fuel more perfectly than any other device.

Sixth, the ilse ot' my improved apparatus and process results iii the saving ot' fuel and labor now inciirred every eight orten days, of letting down the tires and removing the' deposits called bitteriis, which adhere to the kettles. y

It is evident that where brines do not contain gypsum or any impurities that can be precipitated'by boiling and slight concentration, thetub C herein described as the puiitier can also be advantageously einplyed in connection with the evaporator and steainvat, to bring to a boil and concentrate Van adi'litional amount ot' fresh brincto belet down tothe evaporator or to the steam-vat, by the usel of' the steam t vone hour the temperature ofA the brine therein was raised to about 1920 and there remained until the covers were opened and salt removed from the kettles, a period ot'.t`our or ve lionrs, depending on the duration of t-lie boil ot' the kettle;` that np to the time this temperature was reached, the steam passing from the kettle 4was condenscdfby the evaporatorand passeil oit' i'i'eely as water bythe pipe N, lint thereafter but little ivater, comparatively, buta large amount ot' steam passed ott by the-pipe N, show-` ing that the steam was not utilized, and although unable to raise the temperature higher, was more than sutiicient to'maintain it tliereat. As one method of utilizing this steam, the brine in the evaporator can be kept agitated by any simple mechanical device; this agitation will, as is well known, increase the evapora-tion, but at the saine time tend to lower the temperature, which lowering will be restored by the surplus steam which would otlicrivise escape, andy the steam can he thus utilized.

Having now described the nature, form, and peculiar advantages ot', my invention in general, I will describe its practical operation. L

The crude brine is tirst let int-o the purifiei' C` and the steam admitted from the boiler as the brine is brought to a hoil,and a. sliglitconcentratiou obtained; the gypsum or'other impurities will be. precipitated, and on the steam being sluit otl' `wiil settleto the bottom; the purified brine to the ainiuiit reipii.'e.l is then drawn oit' into the, ptn l', and thence through the pipes 'l ainl the vat. and a' like amount, or as required, let down into l from the piii'itiei'. ,llie steam is then admitted to the vat A and the covers thereto closed, and the bi'iiie therein reduced to salt; the covers are then raised ,and the salt reiinived, and while being so reiiiovcil the steam is sluit oli' therefrom, and admitted to the tub G to heat and purify a fresh supply ot' brine therein, as before.

Atter t-lie removal ot' salt from the vat A t-lie couceuti'ated brine is let down thereto from the pau B t'or the purpose ot reduction to salt, the covers again closed, 'steam sluit oit l'rom the purifier aii'l let on to the vat A, andthe puritied-brine in C let down to the pan in B.

Brine canalso, it' desired, be let down direct from the purifier toboth vats A and B, and in the t'ornier reduced to salt by the action ot' the steam i'roin tlle boiler, and in t-lie latter, although more slowly, by the action ot the steam escaping t'roni the sui-tace of the brine being boiled iii A.

I do not mean to cla-iin or confine myself to any size., shape, number, or position ot' the vessels, tubs, vats, or pipes therein or therefrom to be used, as it is evident that these can be modified to any extent and' still produce the saine substantial results and operate substantially in the saine manner; but

WhatI I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl l 'lhe vessels A B and C when constructed and adjusted in coniicction with a strain-generator, so as to' operate substantially in the manne-rand for the piii'- poses liereiu described. 4 i

DEXTER REYNOLDS. Titnesses Guo. T. PARKER, i F. H. Caminar. 

